Game of Thrones’ Sean Bean Reflects on Ned Stark’s Legacy

Game of Thrones’ Sean Bean Reflects on Ned Stark’s Legacy

Warning: There are minor Game of Thrones spoilers ahead!

In just a few short weeks, the final season of Game of Thrones will complete its epic story in style. But HBO’s fantasy drama reaches its conclusion, former star Sean Bean is looking back on his legacy as Ned Stark. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bean noted that Ned died before he could keep his promise to Jon Snow and reveal his true parents.

“Like with everything with Game of Thrones, it was kept very dark and secret,” said Bean. “I think that’s the kind of magic and the glory of (the show)- that’s why it’s so stunning and breathtaking when these secrets are revealed.”

Bean also spoke about the still unaired pilot episode, and he noted some of the differences between the first episode and its original iteration.

“I think there were some very good moments [in the pilot],” said Bean. “It was experimental in some ways. I think they were trying to portray what could be achieved: the kind of wonder and awe, the vast scale and complexity, all these war-faring tribes, the magic, the beauty, and the treachery.”

“I think trying to get that into a pilot may have been difficult, and perhaps the story was lost a little,” continued Bean. “But nevertheless, it gave you a sense of what it could be. We were just going along with what was down there [on the page], but though they didn’t use the pilot in its entirety, they used certain moments, and I think the pilot served its purpose…It was developed, it got bigger and bigger and bigger and more exciting and breathtaking. It was just an idea, I think. It’s impossible to get an idea of the whole season of Game of Thrones into a pilot…We really enjoyed being on it, and we knew there was something special in that early stage.”

You can read the rest of the interview here. It covers quite a bit of ground, including his thoughts about Ned’s character.

Game of Thrones’ final season debuts April 14 on HBO. Will you tune in to see how it all plays out? Let us know in the comments below!